How My Mixing Has Changed

Neon Notes — Week [6]

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how different my mixes sound compared to when I first started.

Back in 2023, I had a general idea of what mixing was supposed to be, but being a beginner brings beginner mistakes. I would write and arrange the song and then mix everything at the end. What I was left with were mixes that were way too loud, muddy, and lacked low-end clarity.

Now I mix on the fly.

As I write and arrange the song, I'm also making mixing decisions and getting problems out of the way sooner in the process. By the time the arrangement is done, most of the mixing is done, besides cleaning up sibilance in the vocal samples, that step always comes last, right before mastering. But mixing on the fly changed everything for me.

One of the biggest differences is what I listen for first.

Now, I listen for frequency clashes as soon as I start writing and deal with them right away. Back then, I would stack sounds that I really liked but that also clashed frequency-wise. I would try to force them to work, which just created a mess. Cleaning things up early keeps the mix tidy and makes later decisions easier.

Looking back, I realized that my mixes weren't bad because I lacked talent. They were rough because my ears weren't trained yet. By analyzing each song as I finished it, I started noticing patterns. I was beginning to understand why my mixes were off.

The funny thing I didn't realize back then is that mixing really is more about adjusting volume first. Getting the levels correct goes a long way before ever introducing plugins to the mix.

Knowing what fits is one of the biggest advantages when it comes to mixing.

Learning to mix properly has been one of the most rewarding things about this journey, other than actually making the music.

And like everything else in my music, my process is still evolving.

Now Creating

• 3 songs left to be released for the Electric Skyline EP
• 1 collaboration to be released soon
• Working on an instrumental synthwave style song

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If any part of it resonated with you, I’m always happy to hear your thoughts. Whether you’re making music or something completely different, I hope you keep following whatever feels honest to you.

This post is part of my weekly Neon Notes series. Look for new posts every Wednesday.